BEST of a bad bunch. New Ipswich Town loanee Richie Wellens has revealed that he was only allowed to join a team in the bottom four of the Championship last week.

And while the Leicester City midfielder doesn’t expect to be with the Blues beyond his agreed one-month switch – that’s just six more games – he has assured supporters his professional pride means he will be doing everything he can to help the club during his short-term switch.

Having just made a speedy recovery from the cruciate knee ligament injury sustained on the last game of last season, the 32-year-old – who played virtually every game for the Foxes’ last season, also captaining the side for a long spell – has come to Portman Road to get the match fitness he requires to fight for a place at the King Power Stadium.

“It was a tough one because I need games, but Leicester are doing well (five straight wins) and so aren’t going to go changing their side,” explains Wellens, who was incredibly back in light training just 11 weeks after sustaining the first serious injury of his career.

“Nigel (Pearson) wanted me to go to a League One club on loan because there were more games during the international break and I was due to go to Sheffield United until one of their midfielders came back from a suspension.

“Eventually he gave me the choice of the bottom four clubs in the Championship because he didn’t want me to go to one of Leicester’s rivals at the moment. There was Millwall and Peterborough (as well as Sheffield Wednesday), but Ipswich really stood out for me.”

With Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff his first appearance in six months, Wellens added: “I lasted 70 minutes at the weekend, the next step is to try and last the 90 minutes. The idea is obviously for me to come here and get fit, but I’m a professional person and I wouldn’t just come here to be selfish.

“I want to come here and do my best for this manager (Paul Jewell) and this football club – I want to win matches.

“If I do go back after the month I want to definitely make sure we’re not in the relegation zone. I think we’ve got six more games in the time I’m here and I’d love to help the team to at least three or four wins.”

He added: “The manager has not specifically asked me to come in and provide some leadership on the pitch, but that’s something I just do automatically. I don’t believe you can play football without talking and demanding things off your team-mates and helping them out.

“The more experienced players, like Danny Higginbotham, can make a difference.”